United Nations published this video item, entitled “”Climate crisis is a code red for humanity” – UN Chief | United Nations | Climate Action” – below is their description.
Speaking at a high-level meeting on climate action, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that the climate crisis is a code red for humanity, adding that “the time has passed for diplomatic niceties,” and “if governments do not stand up and lead this effort, we are headed for terrible human suffering.”
Speaking at a meeting on Delivering Climate Action – for People, Planet & Prosperity today (26 Oct) in New York, Guterres said, “Businesses need to reduce their climate impact, and fully and credibly align their operations and financial flows to a net-zero future. No more excuses. No more greenwashing.”
He added, “investors — public and private alike — must do the same. They should join front runners like the net-zero asset owners alliance, and the UN’s own pension fund, which met its 2021 carbon reduction investment objectives ahead of time and above its target, with a 32 per cent reduction this year.”
The UN chief also said, “individuals in every society need to make better, more responsible choices — in what they eat, how they travel, and what they purchase as consumers.”
He also reiterated “young people — and climate activists — need to keep doing what they’re doing: demanding action from their leaders.”
Guterres also said, “throughout, we need global solidarity to help all countries make this shift,” adding that “developing countries are grappling with debt and liquidity crises. They need support. Public and multilateral development banks must significantly increase their climate portfolios and redouble their efforts to help countries transition to net-zero, resilient economies.”
The UN chief continued, “the developed world must urgently meet its commitment of at least $100 billion in annual climate finance for developing countries. I repeat my call to donors and multilateral development banks to devote at least 50 per cent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience in the developing world.”
Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau also addressed the Assembly. He said, “the ocean, climate, biodiversity nested demanded and amplified the global response to climate change.”
He reiterated, “we need radical accountability to NDC commitments, and radical strategies to achieve net carbon-zero by 2050. All countries must step up.”
Jacinda Arden, the Prime Minister of New Zealand said, “New Zealand is using every opportunity to build a sheer approach in areas that are critical importance, ending fossil fuel subsidies, shifting finance away from environmentally harmful forms and building climate actions into trading arrangements.”
She continued, “our efforts within countries and together to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic must be used as an opportunity to accelerate clean and sustainable transformation.”
The Prime Minister called on the leaders of Asia-Pacific to “demonstrate unity and to champion a climate resilient future.”
The high-level meeting focused on the gap between current and required technical, skilling and financial capacities to achieve the 1.5 degrees target and how that gap can be met, through showcasing best practices that simultaneously address climate action and the myriad structural challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. It also took stock of the ambition-raising initiatives from Member States and stakeholders made along the path to COP26 and help identify areas and sectors where more can be done. Participants are invited to focus on encouraging State Parties and other key stakeholders, including industry and the private sector, to increase ambition across key areas, including, first, identify and present solutions towards meeting the technical, financial and skills gaps to achieve the 1.5 temperature goal. Second, Build momentum for partnerships on technical and resource support. Third, increasing political support for climate finance, especially on adaption, on the scale and at the pace that is needed for sustainable recovery.
Full remarks [as delivered]: https://www.un.org/sg/en/node/260330
United Nations YouTube Channel
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